N79GH

On February 08, 2018, a Heinlein George GH125 (N79GH) was involved in an incident near Valkaria, FL. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot’s decision to exit the paved runway into soft terrain, which resulted in a ground loop and landing gear collapse.

The pilot reported that, after landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane, he exited the runway as soon as possible due to student traffic in the pattern, but the runway had no parallel taxiway, and he underestimated the softness of the terrain next to the runway. He added, the right main landing gear dug in, the airplane ground looped, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest nosed down.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot reported that he should have stayed on the paved runway until reaching the taxiway exit.

This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA18CA182. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N79GH.